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Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
I have a favorite quote from Lou Pinella, currently the manager of major league baseball team the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He once said of a player, “That guy will never be a tough competitor. He can’t get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
One of the leading reasons that people do not get better at what they do – whatever it is that they do – is they are not willing to be uncomfortable in order to get better. Individuals and organizations must learn new skills and competencies in order to improve. And learning – real learning – is always uncomfortable at first.
Living with discomfort in the pursuit of excellence is a trait that can be developed. Most people are not born being cool under pressure. They learn how to handle pressure and allow pressure to make them more effective.
Performance Principle: Getting better feels uncomfortable. We all tend to look at other people and assume that success has come easily to them. With few exceptions, success does not come easily to anyone. In order to get better, accept the fact that successful results are the fruit of intentionally living with discomfort.
Questions to Consider:
- Are you ok with being uncomfortable in the process of getting better?
- Can you accept that champions intentionally put themselves in uncomfortable situations in order to improve?
- Instead of resisting discomfort, can you accept it in pursuit of a bigger goal?
